Somalia: Country Report | 2024
AI Generated Analysis based on UNHCR Forced Displacement Statisitics.
Executive Summary
Of course. Here is the ‘Key Trends’ executive summary for the Somalia 2024 report.
Key Trends: Somalia’s Deepening Displacement Crisis
A world in turmoil is nowhere more evident than in Somalia, where a relentless convergence of conflict, climate shocks, and instability has driven the number of displaced Somalis to a staggering 4.9 million globally. The epicentre of this emergency remains overwhelmingly internal, with a record 3.86 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) inside the country—a population that continues to grow. This is a crisis of profound vulnerability, disproportionately affecting an exceptionally youthful population where children under five represent the largest demographic. The data paints an urgent picture of a nation where generations are being born into a cycle of displacement, demanding a humanitarian response focused on protection, resilience, and life-saving assistance at immense scale.
The burden of this protracted crisis continues to fall heavily on the region. Low- and middle-income countries, particularly neighbours like Ethiopia and Kenya, host the vast majority of Somali refugees, demonstrating immense solidarity despite their own significant challenges. Paradoxically, Somalia itself remains a country of asylum, though its national systems are under severe strain, evidenced by a growing backlog of cases. For Somalis seeking protection abroad, the path is uncertain, with starkly divergent recognition rates across host countries, exposing inconsistencies in the global asylum system and leaving many in prolonged legal limbo.
The gap between protection and permanent solutions is widening into a chasm. While data from 2020-2022 showed that large-scale solutions like voluntary returns are possible under the right conditions, this progress has sharply reversed, highlighting the fragility of any gains. For refugees granted protection abroad, the reality is even more stark. A grant of asylum is increasingly not a gateway to a secure future, but the start of a protracted wait. Formal resettlement pathways remain consistently near zero, a critical failure that traps hundreds of thousands in uncertainty. This solutions deficit demands immediate and renewed commitment from the international community to expand third-country pathways and create conditions for dignified, safe, and voluntary returns.
Population Overview
Population Overview: Somalia
The protracted crisis in Somalia continues to be one of the most severe and complex displacement situations globally, with the total population of concern to UNHCR reaching 3.9 million people. Behind these stark numbers, the data reveals a humanitarian reality overwhelmingly defined by internal displacement, driven by a convergence of conflict, insecurity, and extreme climate shocks.
The scale of internal displacement is staggering. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) constitute the vast majority of those in need, numbering 3.86 million, or nearly 99 per cent of the total population of concern. This is not a static figure but the culmination of a worsening trend; analysis over a six-year period shows a steep and significant increase in the IDP population since 2019. This trajectory continued into the new year, with a further increase of 1,760 IDPs recorded between the end of 2023 and early 2024, signaling that the drivers of displacement remain dangerously active.
The demographic profile of the displaced is particularly concerning and highlights immense vulnerability. An expansive population pyramid reveals an exceptionally youthful population, with the largest single cohort being children aged 0-4. This structure signifies a high dependency ratio and underscores the critical and urgent need for targeted interventions in child protection, nutrition, education, and maternal healthcare services.
While the internal displacement crisis dominates the landscape, Somalia also hosts a refugee population of approximately 19,500. This group is highly concentrated, with the vast majority originating from a single neighboring country, reflecting interconnected regional instability. Taken together, the data paints a picture of a deepening internal crisis whose profound impact is borne disproportionately by its youngest and most vulnerable, demanding a sustained and targeted humanitarian response to address immense and growing needs.
Demographics
AI Insight: Treemap of Population of Concern types in Somalia, where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) constitute the vast majority of the total 3.9 million individuals., This treemap illustrates the composition of the 3,904,000 individuals identified as a population of concern by UNHCR in Somalia as of 2024. The analysis reveals a humanitarian situation overwhelmingly defined by internal displacement. The largest category by a significant margin is Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), numbering 3,861,643, which accounts for approximately 98.9% of the total population of concern. This is visually represented by the largest rectangle, which occupies nearly the entire area of the chart. The remaining six categories, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and returned IDPs, collectively make up just over 1% of the total. The extreme disparity in scale underscores that internal conflict, climate shocks, and insecurity are the primary drivers of displacement within Somalia, making the IDP crisis the most critical area of humanitarian focus in the country.
AI Insight: Population pyramid of UNHCR’s populations of concern in Somalia by age and gender, where the structure reveals a very youthful population with the largest proportion of individuals in the 0-4 age group., This population pyramid displays the age and gender distribution for 36,804,675 individuals of concern to UNHCR in Somalia as of 2024. The populations include refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons, and other groups of concern, with 100% of the data disaggregated by gender.
The chart shows a classic ‘expansive’ pyramid structure, with a wide base representing a large number of children and a progressive narrowing towards the top, indicating a smaller proportion of older individuals. This shape is characteristic of a youthful population with high fertility rates.
Statistically, the largest demographic cohort is the 0-4 age group for both females and males, with the maximum proportion for any single female age group being 15.7% and for males 13.5%. The population size decreases steadily with each subsequent age bracket (5-11, 12-17, 18-59, and 60+). The overall gender distribution is nearly balanced across the population.
For humanitarian operations, this demographic profile signifies a high dependency ratio. It underscores a critical need for resources and programs targeted at children and youth, including education, child protection, nutrition, and maternal and child healthcare services.
Trends Over Time
AI Insight: Stacked column chart of population types in Somalia from 2019 to 2024, where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) form the largest group and their numbers have significantly increased over the period., This stacked column chart illustrates the composition of populations of concern in Somalia annually from 2019 to 2024, with figures in thousands. The data is broken down into six categories, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returned IDPs, refugees, and returned refugees. A clear and dominant trend is the substantial and growing number of IDPs, which constitute the vast majority of the total population of concern. The number of IDPs shows a steep increase over the six-year period, peaking at approximately 3.86 million people. In contrast, other categories are significantly smaller. For example, the number of returned IDPs fluctuates, reaching a maximum of around 607,000, while the count of returned refugees remains very low, not exceeding 5,000 in any given year. The chart effectively highlights a worsening internal displacement crisis in Somalia.
AI Insight: Column chart of population changes in Somalia between 2023 and 2024, where the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) increased by 1,760, while other groups saw minor changes., This diverging column chart visualizes the changes in six distinct population groups of concern in Somalia between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. The bars represent the absolute change in the number of people, with corresponding percentage changes also indicated.
Statistical Analysis: The data highlights a continued trend of displacement, albeit with varied dynamics across different groups. The most significant change is observed in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) population, which saw an increase of 1,760 individuals. This increase, while numerically the largest, represents a relatively small percentage change given the total IDP population stood at approximately 3.86 million in 2023. Other population groups, which include refugees, asylum-seekers, and returnees, experienced much smaller absolute changes, with some groups increasing and others decreasing by numbers ranging from single digits to a few dozen people. The overall net change across all populations of concern indicates a slight increase, underscoring the persistent and complex humanitarian situation.
Humanitarian Context: Somalia continues to face one of the world’s most severe and protracted displacement crises, driven by a combination of conflict, widespread insecurity, and extreme climate events such as recurrent droughts and floods. The increase in the IDP population, while modest in this period, signals that the drivers of displacement remain active. These figures are critical for UNHCR and its partners for operational planning, resource allocation, and advocacy efforts. The data informs the humanitarian response to provide protection, shelter, and essential services to those forcibly displaced, while also working towards durable solutions for all affected populations.
AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of the top 9 countries of origin for refugees in Somalia in 2024, where the refugee population is overwhelmingly from one country of origin., This horizontal bar chart details the origins of the refugee population in Somalia for 2024, focusing on the top nine countries. The data shows a highly skewed distribution, with a total of approximately 19,500 refugees from these countries. One country of origin is predominant, accounting for 12,332 individuals, which constitutes the vast majority of the refugee population shown. The remaining eight countries have significantly smaller refugee populations in Somalia. The median number of refugees from a country of origin is only 56, and the smallest group numbers just 5 people. This stark contrast between the maximum and median values highlights a specific, large-scale displacement situation from one country, while other refugee groups in Somalia are much smaller. This data is critical for UNHCR to tailor its protection and assistance programs, ensuring resources are allocated to meet the needs of the largest group while also addressing the specific vulnerabilities of the smaller refugee communities.
Geography & Movements
Geography and Movements: The Protracted Somali Displacement Crisis
The geography of displacement originating from Somalia reveals a crisis that is both deeply protracted and overwhelmingly internal. Behind the stark figure of nearly 4.9 million displaced Somalis globally, the data underscores that the vast majority—over 3.8 million people—are internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Somalia’s own borders. This constitutes one of the world’s most significant internal displacement situations, a figure that has grown dramatically in recent years. The alluvial data tracking population movements from 2019 to 2025 highlights this alarming trend, driven by a relentless combination of decades-long conflict, political instability, and the severe impacts of recurring climate shocks such as devastating droughts and floods.
For those forced to seek refuge across international borders, the journey overwhelmingly ends in neighbouring countries. This regional concentration of displacement places an immense and sustained pressure on host communities, with nations like Ethiopia and Kenya hosting the largest Somali refugee populations. This pattern is characteristic of many displacement crises, where immediate neighbours bear the most significant responsibility, often despite facing their own socio-economic and environmental challenges. The analysis of destination countries reveals this profound imbalance; while displaced Somalis are recorded in over 100 countries, the numbers are highly skewed, with the vast majority concentrated within the Horn of Africa.
Paradoxically, while being a major source of displacement, Somalia is also a country of asylum, hosting refugees and asylum-seekers from other nations. However, the scale is vastly different. The data shows that the number of refugees hosted in Somalia, while significant and primarily from one country of origin, is dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of its own internal displacement crisis. The visualization effectively underscores that the epicentre of suffering and need remains inside Somalia itself, highlighting the critical importance of focusing international support on protection, humanitarian assistance, and durable solutions for millions of its own citizens trapped in a cycle of displacement.
AI Insight: Choropleth map of destination countries for displaced people from Somalia, where the vast majority are internally displaced within Somalia itself, with neighboring countries hosting the next largest populations., This choropleth map illustrates the global distribution of displaced populations originating from Somalia as of 2024. The data includes refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other people of concern to UNHCR.
The statistical profile reveals a highly skewed distribution across 101 countries with reported figures. While the mean number of displaced Somalis per country is 49,300, the median is only 114. This disparity highlights that a few countries host extremely large populations, while most host very small numbers. The figures range from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 3,861,856.
Key Findings: 1. Internal Displacement: The maximum value of 3,861,856 overwhelmingly represents the number of Internally Displaced Persons within Somalia. This indicates that the Somali displacement crisis is primarily an internal one, driven by decades of conflict, political instability, and severe climate shocks like droughts and floods. 2. Regional Concentration: The next largest populations are concentrated in countries neighboring Somalia, particularly Ethiopia and Kenya. These nations have historically hosted large Somali refugee populations, reflecting the common trend of displaced people seeking refuge in the nearest available safe country. 3. Wider Distribution: While the crisis is concentrated in the Horn of Africa, smaller but significant diaspora communities exist globally, as evidenced by the 75th percentile value of 2,018 persons per country.
In summary, the visualization underscores that the burden of Somali displacement is borne predominantly by Somalia itself and its immediate neighbors, highlighting a protracted and largely regional humanitarian crisis.
Origin of Displaced Populations
AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of the top 9 countries of origin for refugees in Somalia in 2024, where the number of refugees from the top country is overwhelmingly larger than all other origins combined., This chart details the nine largest populations of refugees in Somalia by their country of origin for the year 2024. The data demonstrates a highly concentrated distribution. A single country of origin accounts for the vast majority of refugees, with a population of 12,332. The remaining eight countries contribute significantly smaller numbers, with the median population being just 56 individuals. This large discrepancy between the maximum value and the median indicates a strong right skew, which is further confirmed by the mean of 2,167 being much higher than the median. The refugee counts from these top nine countries range from a high of 12,332 to a low of 5. This distribution highlights that while Somalia hosts refugees from multiple nations, the humanitarian context is dominated by a single, large national group.
AI Insight: Alluvial chart of the origin of forcibly displaced populations in Somalia from 2019 to 2025, where the number of internally displaced Somalis has grown dramatically and far outnumbers displaced people from other countries., This alluvial chart visualizes the evolution of the forcibly displaced population within Somalia, categorized by their country of origin for the years 2019 to 2025. The data is presented in thousands of people. The chart distinguishes between two primary origins: ‘Somalia’, representing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and ‘Other’, representing refugees and asylum-seekers from other nations.
A stark contrast is evident between the two groups. The population originating from ‘Other’ countries remains a small and relatively stable component, with numbers in the tens of thousands. In contrast, the number of internally displaced Somalis is overwhelmingly larger and demonstrates a significant upward trend over the period. The statistical profile shows a maximum value of over 3.8 million people, which corresponds to the IDP population in the later years. This dramatic growth in the Somali IDP population highlights the severe impact of ongoing conflict, insecurity, and climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods within the country. The visualization effectively underscores that the primary displacement crisis affecting Somalia is internal, with the number of its own citizens displaced within its borders far exceeding the number of refugees it hosts.
Destination
AI Insight: Bar chart of the top 10 destination countries for forcibly displaced people from Somalia, where the primary destination country hosts a vastly larger population than the other nine., This vertical bar chart illustrates the top ten destination countries for forcibly displaced populations originating from Somalia, as of 2024. The analysis covers data for 10 host countries.
Statistically, the distribution of displaced Somalis is highly skewed. The number of people hosted ranges from a minimum of 457,695 to a maximum of 41,599,728. The median number of displaced persons is 698,876, while the mean is significantly higher at approximately 6.7 million. This large discrepancy, along with a high standard deviation of 12.7 million, is driven by the maximum value, which acts as a major outlier. This indicates that one country hosts a disproportionately large share of the displaced population from Somalia compared to the other top destinations.
This data is vital for UNHCR’s strategic planning, highlighting the immense pressure on the primary host country and informing the need for international cooperation and burden-sharing. The concentration of displaced persons in specific locations guides resource allocation for protection, assistance, and long-term solutions.
